100 OneShot Challenge
by Amelia Bright
Summary: DISCONTINUED.
1. Injured

Injured

_This will be easy; kit's play, _Talonpaw thought as he hid behind the ferns. A patrol of ShadowClan cats sauntered into ThunderClan territory, tails held high and eyes gleaming. They were completely unaware of the dark red-brown tabby tom hiding behind them, green eyes narrowed.

Talonpaw had smelled their reek from all the way across the Thunderpath, and he had known they were coming. He was hunting with his sister, Cloudpaw, when the scent wafted into his nose. Talonpaw immediately sent Cloudpaw to bring a ThunderClan patrol to the border. But Talonpaw was never one for waiting. He had watched the ShadowClan warriors, and he couldn't help but think they seemed slow, underfed, and weak. Leaf-bare had taken a harsh toll on all the Clans, but it seemed to hurt ShadowClan the most. Talonpaw believed that he could beat them all single-pawed.

When they got within range, Talonpaw bunched his muscles together. _I bet I'll get my warrior name after this! _As he sprang, he thought, _Graystar will surely name me Talonstrike, for my amazing surprise attack. _

Talonpaw landed on a skinny gray tom, who yowled in surprise. The ThunderClan apprentice quickly slashed at the flat area between his shoulders with his powerful fore claws, which his mother had named him for. The opposing warrior rolled onto his back, squashing Talonpaw. As the gray tom got up, another ShadowClan warrior yanked Talonpaw up by the scruff, and shook him harshly. Talonpaw's vision blurred, and he grew numb. He barely felt the shaking stop when another warrior bit into his front right leg, right where it connected to Talonpaw's chest. Horrified, the apprentice saw his blood flow onto the ground, so he screwed his eyes shut.

In the distance, he heard a cry, "ThunderClan attack!"

He opened his eyes barely, and saw the tortoiseshell pelt of his mentor, Leafshroud. Her amber eyes burned with anger as she launched herself at the brown tabby that held Talonpaw in his jaws. Talonpaw fell to the ground with a plop. He could hear the ThunderClan and ShadowClan cats fighting, but the sound was faint. He looked up to see Cloudpaw standing above him, her snow-white fur glowing unnaturally bright in the sunlight. Her sky-blue eyes were filled with worry. Blackness tugged at the edges of Talonpaw's sight, and he slipped out of consciousness.

Talonpaw awoke to the medicine den. He saw the silvery white back of Moonspirit, the medicine cat, as she worked. He looked down at his leg, and screeched in horror at what he saw. His leg was gone; there was nothing left but a small nub, covered in herb poultices. Moonspirit turned around, her dark blue eyes sad.

"I'm sorry Talonpaw. I couldn't save your leg. I really tried, but it was too late. I'm sorry." She bowed her head in shame. Talonpaw lifted his head to touch noses with the medicine cat.

"It's okay," he purred, "I understand." Talonpaw sighed, "I guess I'll never be a warrior, huh?"

"I'm afraid not." After she said that, her ears perked up. "Talonpaw," she began, "What do you smell?"

"Um, comfrey, marigold, horsetail, catmint, and," he took an extra sniff, "Borage."

Moonspirit purred, surprising Talonpaw.

"While it's true that you'll never be a warrior, I have a different idea. How would you like to be my apprentice?"

Talonpaw's heart skipped a beat. This was perfect; as a medicine cat, he would be able to help his Clan in ways no warrior ever could. And although his old dream had been destroyed, he could still be useful in the Clan, and not just another burden in the elders' den. Somehow, he felt that being the medicine cat was his destiny.

"I think I'd like that," he replied.

The medicine cat smiled, "Good. Tonight's the half-moon, so I can take you to the Moonstone to become a proper medicine cat apprentice."

"Perfect," Talonpaw agreed.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Graystar called.

"Let's go, Talonpaw," Moonspirit meowed. She padded out, and Talonpaw hobbled close behind

Graystar continued, "Today I have a very special announcement. I talked to Smokeclaw, and he agrees that his apprentice is ready to be a warrior. Cloudpaw, step forward."

Talonpaw's sister nearly flew to the Highrock.

"I, Graystar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has worked hard to learn the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to be a warrior in her turn. Cloudpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Cloudpaw, from now on you will be known as Cloudsky. StarClan honors your determination and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

"Cloudsky! Cloudsky! Cloudsky!" the Clan called, Talonpaw obviously the loudest.

When she jumped down, she rubbed up against her brother and whispered in his ear, "I'm glad you're okay."

"I have something else," Moonspirit announced, "Talonpaw lost his leg in the fight with ShadowClan, so he cannot be a warrior, but he agreed to become my apprentice."

Graystar purred, "Excellent."

Cloudsky nuzzled Talonpaw.

"Congratulations!" she exclaimed, "You'll be a great medicine cat."

From the side, Talonpaw noticed that his former mentor, Leafshroud, looked sad, her amber eyes fixed on the ground. Talonpaw padded over to her the best he could without the use of his leg.

"I'm sorry, Leafshroud. It was foolish of me to attack that ShadowClan patrol by myself. I didn't know what I was thinking. I was just so excited about becoming a warrior, and my pride got the better of me."

"It's okay, Talonpaw. We all make mistakes. Even Graystar," she said. Talonpaw looked up at the muscular gray tom, who was also Leafshroud's brother.

"Really? But he's a great leader," Talonpaw protested.

Leafshroud laughed, "Yes, he is. But trust me, he's made mistakes. When we were apprentices, he would always pull pranks on me. Sometimes he still does."

Talonpaw laughed too, "Well, that's what family is for."

That night, Moonspirit took Talonpaw to the Moonstone with all the other medicine cats. He met Heatherfur, the WindClan medicine cat; Robinflight, the ShadowClan medicine cat; and Nightmist, the RiverClan medicine cat; along with Heatherfur's apprentice, Foxpaw. Of course, they asked him about his leg, but they were nice about it. Robinflight seemed ashamed to know that his Clanmates had been that ruthless. Later, Moonspirit performed the ceremony for Talonpaw to become the medicine cat apprentice.

"Talonpaw, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?" she asked.

"It is."

"Then come forward. Warriors of StarClan, I present to you this apprentice. He has chosen the life of a medicine cat. Grant him your wisdom and insight so that he may understand your ways to heal his Clan in accordance to your will."

Talonpaw could almost feel StarClan's presence as the ceremony ended. He touched his nose to the Moonstone and fell asleep.

Many moons later, Moonspirit grew old and realized that she would die soon. Talonpaw was ready to receive his full medicine cat name. In the time that had passed since he became the medicine cat apprentice, Foxpaw had gotten his full name, Foxflame, and Nightmist had taken an apprentice, Rosepaw. When the medicine cats came to the Moonstone, the ceremony began.

"I, Moonspirit, medicine cat of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with you help, he will serve his Clan for many moons. Talonpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all the cats equally, even at the cost of your own life?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Talonpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Talonheart. StarClan honors your focus and endurance, and we welcome you as a full medicine cat."

In Talonheart's Moonstone dream, he met the former ThunderClan medicine cat and Moonspirit's mentor, Fernpool. She was white with gray patches, and she had light green eyes. She warned Talonheart that he would soon be ThunderClan's only medicine cat.

That night, Moonspirit died in her sleep.

Talonheart was one of the finest medicine cats that ThunderClan had ever known. He eventually got his own apprentice, Thrushpaw.

Was Talonheart injured? Yes. Did that stop him from achieving his destiny? Absolutely not.


	2. Sinking

Sinking

Graystripe's POV

Fireheart, Cinderpaw, and Brackenpaw stared in awe at the frozen river. I, however, had something better in mind. _Prey. _At the bank of the river was a water vole, scampering on the ice. I ran for it. Behind me, I could hear Fireheart hiss, "Come back!" But, I didn't listen. This vole would be useful prey for the Clan, especially during this leaf-bare, so I continued my pursuit onto the ice. Unfortunately, it cracked and gave way under my paws. I yowled as I plummeted into the water. I tried hopelessly to swim, only to sink further into the river. Before I knew it, I was being carried downstream like a piece of driftwood. I pushed my head to the surface and took in giant gulps of air. I couldn't do anything but flail my limbs. The river was too strong. I glanced over to see Fireheart run along the edge of the river, pure terror in his green eyes. If I hadn't been drowning, I would have laughed at him.

I heard a yowl. I expected it to be Fireheart's, but it came from a different direction, and it sounded like a she-cat. I looked to see a pretty silver tabby plunge herself into the river as well. I gasped, worried that she would drown too, but then I remembered that she was probably a RiverClan cat. And RiverClan cats know how to swim.

She swam towards me with ease, and latched her jaws into my scruff. As she continued to swim, my weight pulled us both under.

"Let me go," I managed to croak, "Save yourself."

"No!" she replied through gritted teeth.

She swam against the current, dragging me with her. Eventually, we made it to the bank where Fireheart was standing, and she hauled herself out of the river. I remained in the water, being thrashed about by the waves. Fireheart reached down and grabbed me, and the two cats worked together to pull me onto the shore. I lay on my side, breathing heavily, and coughed up the river water.

"Graystripe!" Fireheart meowed urgently.

"I'm okay," I wheezed, feeling relieved. I turned to the she-cat. She was beautiful, with bright blue eyes and sleek silver fur that shed the water as easily as duck feathers. I was stricken by her beauty. "Thanks," I croaked.

Instead of saying 'you're welcome,' she spat at me, "You idiot! What are you doing in my territory?"

"Drowning?" I suggested.

She flicked her ears, amused. "Can't you drown yourself in your own territory?"

I twitched my whiskers and rasped, "Ah, but who would rescue me there?"

Cinderpaw mewed, and Fireheart turned his head. "Where's Brackenpaw?" he asked.

"Just coming," his small gray apprentice replied.

Fireheart sighed and turned back around. "Look, Graystripe, we've got to get out of here."

"I know," I replied, pushing myself to my feet. I turned to the silver tabby. "Thanks again."

She dipped her head and hissed, "Hurry, go now!" She looked carefully over her shoulder. "If my father knew that I'd rescued a ThunderClan intruder he'd shred me for kit bedding.

_We certainly don't want that, _I thought. "Why'd you save me then?" I teased. She looked away.

"Instinct. I couldn't watch any cat drown. Now go!"

Fireheart stood. "Thanks. I'd have missed this furball if he'd drown." He nudged me. "Come on, let's get back to camp. You're freezing!"

"Okay, I'm coming," I huffed. Before I followed Fireheart up the slope, I had to know something. I turned to the tabby she-cat. "What's your name? Mine's Graystripe."

"Silverstream," she replied. _Silverstream, _beautiful. She bounded away.

Fireheart led the apprentices away. I looked over my shoulder to watch Silverstream swim back towards her camp. She was graceful and elegant, and I felt like I could sink into her silver fur, just as I had nearly sunk into her river home.

Cinderpaw seemed to catch on. She glanced up at me, and her blue eyes twinkled with mischief. "What a pretty RiverClan cat she was!" the apprentice teased, her dark gray fur fluffed up. I cuffed her on the ear playfully, but I couldn't help but agree with her.

"Stay with us," Fireheart warned. I realized that we were still in RiverClan territory. One loud noise and we would be crowfood. Fireheart glared at his apprentice, as if he was blaming her for my accident. He glanced at me. I looked down to see that my fur was still soaking wet, and ice was forming on my whiskers. He sped up.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"F-f-fine," I stuttered, realizing how cold I was.

"Sorry," Cinderpaw mewed softly.

Fireheart sighed, "It's not your fault." But his green eyes said exactly the opposite.

"The stream near the training hollow is still running with water," Brackenpaw pointed out randomly.

"What?" Fireheart asked.

"The Clan will probably assume that Graystripe fell in there," my apprentice continued. I was proud of his quick thinking.

"We could say that he was showing us how to catch fish," Cinderpaw added.

"I'm not sure any cat would believe Graystripe would get his paws wet on purpose in this weather," Fireheart meowed. I agreed, but…

"Well, I don't want the rest of the Clan to know I had to rescued by a RiverClan cat," I meowed, "And we can't let them know we were in RiverClan's territory again."

Fireheart nodded. "Come on, let's run the rest of the way; it'll help Graystripe warm up." We raced across the RiverClan border. When we got back to camp, Fireheart led the way through the gorse entrance. My stomach flipped when I saw Tigerclaw sitting there.

The dark deputy fixed his eyes on Fireheart. "No fresh-kill?" he growled, "I thought you were meant to be teaching these two how to hunt today. You look half-drowned, Graystripe. You must have fallen into the river to get that wet." He gasped and sat up straighter. "Don't tell me you've been into RiverClan territory again!" he snarled.

Luckily, Cinderpaw lied, getting us out of trouble. For days, I had to stay in the camp, hopelessly sick and bored. A few days into it, and idea dawned on me. I could go visit Silverstream! If she would let me.

One day, while no one was watching, I snuck out of camp and went to the RiverClan border. Just my luck, Silverstream was hunting on her side.

"Silverstream!" I called, and she looked up in surprise.

As I reached the bank, she swam across.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Immediately, I was nervous. I shuffled my paws on the ground.

"I wanted to come see you," I meowed timidly. Her blue eyes flew wide open with surprise.

"Well, that's great," she replied, "To tell the truth, I've been thinking of you."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes," she meowed slowly. I couldn't help but feel pure joy. Silverstream had been thinking about me!

"That's really fantastic, because," I took a deep breath, "I think you're beautiful, Silverstream. The most beautiful she-cat in all the Clans. I can't get you out of my mind. I've never felt this way before, and it's amazing."

She purred, and nuzzled my neck fur with her nose. I lost myself in the touch of her sleek, silky fur.

Silverstream and I kept seeing each other at the border. After Fireheart found out, we started meeting at Fourtrees. With each meeting, I was sinking deeper and deeper into her love. One night, while the stars and moon were shining as brightly as her blue eyes, I whispered into Silverstream's ear, "I love you."

"Oh, Graystripe," she purred, "I love you too."

Later, in the RiverClan camp, I got some great news. Silverstream was expecting my kits! My heart felt like it would burst with joy and love. I lived each day after that as if life was a dream. Unfortunately, that dream soon became a nightmare.

It was the day Silverstream gave birth to my kits. I was with her, when suddenly she yowled in pain, falling onto her side. There was something going wrong with the birth. Cinderpaw, Fireheart, and I tried to save her, but it was no use. She was dying, and so were the kits.

"Goodbye, Graystripe," she whispered, "I love you. Take care of our kits."

She gave a massive shudder. Her head fell back, her paws jerked, and she was still.

"Silverstream," Cinderpaw whispered.

"No, Silverstream, no," I mewed softly, "Don't go. Don't leave me." I nuzzled her body gently, but she didn't move.

"Silverstream!" I wailed in grief, "Silverstream!"

I sank into depression, knowing that my mate and my kits were dead. I pushed slowly closer to the surface when Fireheart told me her kits were alive. But, I was sinking nonetheless.

I went to the nursery to visit my kits many times. There were two, one a dark gray tom like me, and one a silver she-cat like Silverstream. Goldenflower was suckling them as well as her own, Bramblekit and Tawnykit.

"What are you going to name them?" she asked gently.

I gazed at my kits for a long time.

"Stormkit," I mewed, touching the top of my son's head with my nose. I turned to the silver tabby. She looked so much like Silverstream that it made my heart ache.

After a while, I decided, "Featherkit." I flicked her tiny ear with my tail-tip.

They were my kits, mine and Silverstream's. They were beautiful, like her. I loved them, and they helped ease my pain. But I was still sinking, sinking into sadness, just as I had been sinking into the river the day I met Silverstream.


	3. Father

Father

"You're a horrible father!" Sparrowkit spat. His brown tabby fur was fluffed up, and his amber eyes were wide with fear and anger.

"And you're a horrible son," Stoneheart replied calmly, slashing Sparrowkit's chest with his claws. Blood welled up, staining the kit's white chest fur red.

"Why do you hate me?" Sparrowkit asked, a hint of sadness in his mew.

Stoneheart straightened up, his green eyes blazing.

"Don't you know?" he asked, his gray muzzle only inches from his son's face, "You're mother, and _my_ mate, died giving birth to you, you filthy piece of foxdung!"

As Stoneheart turned around and padded away, Sparrowkit called after him, "I'm going to tell Lionstar!" A picture formed in his mind of the golden-furred RiverClan leader, and his warm amber gaze.

Stoneheart whirled back around and flared his nostrils furiously. "Don't you dare. If you do, I will personally see to it that you get killed, painfully. Understand?"

Sparrowkit nodded feebly, and Stoneheart left. Just like he agreed to, he didn't tell the leader. But Stoneheart hadn't said anything about telling the medicine cat. Sparrowkit ran to Rosecloud's den. The dark cream she-cat's pale green eyes widened as she saw the blood dripping from the young kit's chest.

"What happened?" she asked, immediately grabbing a cobweb and holding it onto Sparrowkit's chest.

He almost told her about Stoneheart, but Rosecloud focused her pale green gaze on him, and he got scared. Those eyes reminded him too much of Stoneheart, who was Rosecloud's half brother. They had both inherited their mother's pale green eyes, but their pelts differed, Rosecloud dark cream and Stoneheart light gray, due to their fathers. Sparrowkit quickly made up a story.

"I was playing at the Sunningrocks, and I accidentally fell and hit my chest on a sharp rock," he lied.

Rosecloud's mew was full of pity, "Oh, Sparrowkit, that's awful! You need to be more careful."

Sparrowkit nodded. "I know," he replied.

After Rosecloud had fixed up his chest wound, she stepped back and announced, "Okay, Sparrowkit, you're free to go."

Sparrowkit dipped his head. "Thank you," he mewed quietly, and then quickly exited the medicine den. He yelped in shock to see his father standing in front of him.

"Did you tell Rosecloud about what happened?" he growled.

Sparrowkit stuttered nervously, "No, I told her I hit it on a rock."

Stoneheart purred darkly, "Good."

His father padded away, and Sparrowkit let out a sigh of relief.

Two moons later, it was time for Sparrowkit's apprentice ceremony.

Lionstar called the Clan together. "Sparrowkit, from now on you will be known as Sparrowpaw. I will be your mentor."

Sparrowpaw heard gasps of surprise from around the camp. Lionstar hadn't had an apprentice since he was deputy. Sparrowpaw felt honored. He stepped forward and touched his nose to Lionstar's. He turned to face his Clan, and saw Stoneheart giving him an angry glare. The newly named apprentice flinched.

Later that day, Lionstar and Sparrowpaw began with battle training. Sparrowpaw batted at Lionstar's ears with his paws, and quickly swiped his muzzle with his paw. Lionstar got loose, and as Sparrowpaw tried to attack him again, the leader weaved back and forth, confusing the new apprentice. Lionstar soon took Sparrowpaw down with a forceful plop. They took a break, and Sparrowpaw breathed heavily. Lionstar smiled at him.

"You did a good job for your first day, Sparrowpaw," he meowed, "You just need to work on your focus."

Sparrowpaw nodded. "Okay," he replied.

While they rested, a question formed in Sparrowpaw's mind.

"Um, Lionstar?" he began timidly.

"Yes?"

"Why did you choose to be my mentor?"

"I thought it would be good for you. I know that most of your family is gone, and Stoneheart isn't exactly the nicest father a cat could ever have," he explained.

"You have no idea," Sparrowpaw muttered under his breath.

"Also," Lionstar continued, "You seem like a bright young cat, and you have the potential to be a great warrior."

Sparrowpaw was warmed by the leader's praise.

"Thank you," he replied, smiling.

Lionstar and Sparrowpaw headed back to camp. As Sparrowpaw padded into the warriors den, Lionstar called to him.

"Sparrowpaw, I'll show you the territory tomorrow!" he shouted.

"Okay!"

Sparrowpaw crawled into the den and curled up next to Icepaw. He watched the gray and white she-cat's flanks rise and fall until he eventually fell asleep.

Sparrowpaw had a dream. He was in a starry forest, which he assumed to be StarClan's territory. In front of him was an older she-cat who looked just like him; a brown tabby with a white chest and white front paws, and amber eyes.

"Are you my mother?" Sparrowpaw asked hopefully.

The she-cat dipped her head. "Yes, I am Honeyflower, your mother."

Sparrowpaw was awestruck. "Well, it's amazing to finally meet you," he meowed.

"I know," she replied, and her eyes darkened, "But that is not the only reason I have come. I have a warning for you; watch out for your father. He is getting ruthless."

Sparrowpaw got worried. "Okay, thank you. Honeyflower, why did you fall in love with Stoneheart in the first place?"

Honeyflower sighed, "Back when I was alive, your father was one of the most handsome toms in the Clan. Almost every single she-cat wanted to be his mate, me included. He was charming too, and an excellent fighter, still is. Oh, I was crazy about him. Later, I found out he loved me too. He had always been grumpy and easily angered, but he was sweet around me. He just got worse after you were born." She sniffed and looked down at her paws.

Sparrowpaw touched his nose to hers, just like he had done to Lionstar at his apprentice ceremony.

"It's okay. I'm sorry you're sad. I watch out for Stoneheart, I promise."

She purred softly. "Thank you," she whispered, and then Sparropaw woke up.

Later that afternoon, while Sparrowpaw was eating a mouse, Stoneheart burst out of the bushes behind him. Sparrowpaw tried to cry for help, but his father's gray tail flicked over his mouth. Stoneheart dragged the apprentice away, into a small, secluded clearing behind the RiverClan camp.

After Stoneheart dropped him roughly on the ground, Sparrowpaw stepped back, amber eyes wide. Stoneheart growled and then lunged at him, and Sparrowpaw's blood spattered onto the grass. Suddenly, a loud, fierce roar sounded from the trees. Stoneheart whirled around sharply, trying to figure out where it was coming from. Lionstar sprang at the gray warrior, pinning him down. Sparrowpaw could see where he had gotten his warrior name, Lionleap. The RiverClan leader killed Stoneheart with one easy bite to the neck. Sparrowpaw breathed out a sigh of relief before passing out. He woke up to the medicine den, Rosecloud, Lionstar, and Icepaw standing over him. Icepaw's light blue eyes shone when he came to.

Sparrowpaw's wounds healed quickly, and he went back to warrior training. Lionstar, his leader and mentor, was more of a father to him than Stoneheart ever was. Sparrowpaw learned quickly and soon became a warrior.

"Sparrowpaw, from this day forward you will be known as Sparrowclaw. StarClan honors your bravery and compassion, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan."

"Sparrowclaw! Sparrowclaw! Sparrowclaw!"

Sparrowclaw was not a warrior for very long before Icepaw, now Icestorm, asked him to be her mate. Sparrowclaw readily accepted.

Many moons passed, and the deputy, Dapplestorm, grew old and decided to join the elders. Sparrowclaw was utterly shocked when Lionstar asked him to take his place.

"I say these words before the spirits of StarClan, so that they may hear and approve my choise. Sparrowclaw will be the new deputy of RiverClan."

Sparrowclaw's Clanmates called out his name, just like at his warrior ceremony, Icestorm the loudest.

Everything was going well for Sparrowclaw, and Icestorm gave birth to his kits: Honeykit, a she-cat who looked just like him and his mother; Ravenkit, a black tom with amber eyes; and Squirrelkit, a ginger tabby she-cat with pale green eyes, just like Rosecloud's. Sparrowclaw vowed to be a much better father to his kits than Stoneheart had been to him.

When Lionstar died, Sparrowclaw took the long journey to the Moonstone with Rosecloud. Honeyflower and Lionstar gave him two of his lives, and Stoneheart, of course, didn't give him any. Sparrowclaw didn't even see his father among StarClan's ranks. He came back to the RiverClan camp with pride and a new name, Sparrowstar.

**A/N: Has anyone but me notice that cats with the -claw ending to their name are often deputies? Think about it: TigerCLAW, BrambleCLAW, MudCLAW, RowanCLAW, SharpCLAW, and in this story SparrowCLAW. Weird.**


	4. Exploit

Exploit

Tigerblaze shook the raindrops out of his orange tabby fur, odd for a WindClan cat. Many of the she-cats in the Clan marveled at the handsome tom, but he was in love with his best friend, and the WindClan deputy, Feathercloud. Unfortunately, he hadn't told her that yet.

Many things about Tigerblaze didn't seem WindClan. WindClan cats may have light ginger fur, or brownish ginger fur, but never the fiery, sunhigh orange of his. Also, his broad shoulders seemed more suiting to a ThunderClan cat. Lastly, his name, _Tiger_blaze. Tiger- was a usual name for a ShadowClan or ThunderClan cat to name her kit, while WindClan would probably use Leopard- if they were going to use a cat from the ancient Clans. However, Tigerblaze could still run as fast as any WindClan warrior.

This was simply because he was not a full-blooded WindClan cat, and every one knew that. His father, Grassfur, was a WindClan warrior, but his mother, Firestorm, was a ThunderClan queen. She had given her only son, Tigerblaze, then Tigerkit, to her mate for him to live in WindClan, while her daughter Thrushkit, now Thrushwing, stayed in ThunderClan and became the medicine cat apprentice.

Tigerblaze was out in the territory, hunting, while the rain fell. He didn't mind the rain; he never had. His green eyes focused as he spotted a rabbit, hiding behind a rock. He took a quick breath, and then launched himself forward. His paws barely skimmed the ground as he raced towards it. The rabbit bolted, but that only made Tigerblaze run faster. He eventually caught it, and with a smug gleam in his eyes, he carried it back to the WindClan camp.

* * *

Tigerblaze rested in the WindClan camp, sharing tongues with Feathercloud. He often found himself staring at her soft, dark gray fur. She noticed and cocked her head to the side.

"What are you looking at?" she asked gently.

Tigerblaze blinked rapidly, and quickly responded, "Nothing!"

Feathercloud purred, "Whatever, twitchy."

Tigerblaze chuckled slightly.

"Feathercloud!" Smokestar called, "I need you to organize a border patrol."

"Okay!" she replied. "Can you lead the patrol, Tigerblaze?"

"Of course."

"Good. Take Mapleleaf, Brackenstripe, and Blackflower with you."

The three cats she named padded over. Mapleleaf, a tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes, twitched her tail impatiently. Brackenstripe, a golden brown tabby tom with amber eyes, yawned and licked his paw. Blackflower, a black she-cat with blue eyes, stood in front of him with wide-eyed anticipation. Tigerblaze was surprised at how many different personalities could exist in a single Clan.

"Okay," he meowed, "Let's go."

As they went along the RiverClan border, Tigerblaze could smell rabbit, dead rabbit. Nearby, he spotted a pile of leaves that was shaped oddly. He brushed the leaves away to reveal what was left of two rabbit carcasses. Tigerblaze inhaled deeply to discover that they had ShadowClan scent!

"Guys, come see this!" he meowed urgently.

Blackflower padded up behind him.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, "Who did that?"

Tigerblaze's voice was grim, "ShadowClan."

* * *

Back at camp, Tigerblaze told Smokestar about what he had seen. Smokestar's ears pricked with interest.

"Thank you for reporting, Tigerblaze. I'll question ShadowClan about it at the Gathering tonight."

Tigerblaze dipped his head, "Good idea. Um, Smokestar, can I come to the Gathering tonight?"

Smokestar purred in amusement, "Of course."

Tigerblaze padded out of Smokestar's den and talked to Feathercloud.

"I'm going to the Gathering tonight," he told her.

She purred, "Excellent. So am I. We haven't been to a Gathering together in moons."

Tigerblaze nodded, "True. Maybe that's changing now that you're deputy."

"Maybe," she agreed. Tigerblaze saw the black and white pelt of Frostclaw coming up behind her. He kept walking until he stood next to Feathercloud, his ice-blue eyes glittering. He purred softly.

"Hello, beautiful," he whispered, and Tigerblaze's heart froze. Feathercloud rubbed her head against Frostclaw's chin. Tigerblaze couldn't believe what he was seeing, another tom being so affectionate to the love of his life, who returned his affection. Why hadn't he seen this coming? If he had read the signs, he would have known that Feathercloud and Frostclaw were mates_. _The thought was hard for him to swallow.

Feathercloud turned back to him, smiling, "See you later, Tigerblaze."

Tigerblaze's head drooped, "Yeah, later."

* * *

Tigerblaze waited patiently for the Gathering to start. So far, only WindClan and RiverClan were there. Tigerblaze turned around as ThunderClan arrived, following their leader, Graystar. He padded over to Thrushwing, who was sitting with her mentor, Talonheart. Thrushwing purred as her brother approached.

"Hi Tigerblaze!" she greeted him, "How are you?"

"Good."

The WindClan warrior turned and dipped his head curtly to Talonheart, "Hello." He felt awkward, looking down at the ThunderClan medicine cat's missing leg.

To his surprise, Talonheart purred in amusement. "Relax, Tigerblaze. It takes a while to for most cats to get used to it. In fact, your medicine cat, Foxflame," he paused, pointing his tail to the light, brownish-ginger tom, "Took _moons _to finally stop staring back when he was Heatherfur's apprentice."

Tigerblaze blinked, thinking of the former WindClan medicine cat, who died when he was an apprentice. He remembered her vividly; she had light brown tabby fur and dark, almost violet, blue eyes.

"Well, it's nice to see you again, Tigerblaze," Thrushwing meowed, "Sometimes, I really wish that we were in the same Clan."

Tigerblaze sighed, "Me too."

Thrushwing and Talonheart padded away to talk to Foxflame. ShadowClan finally arrived, and Tigerblaze immediately started bristling. He stared up at the Great Rock, waiting impatiently for the meeting to start. He noticed that most of the leaders were a shade of gray. Smokestar, his leader, was a very light gray, just like his namesake. The leader of ThunderClan, was a gray tabby, hence the name, _Gray_star. Ivystar, RiverClan's leader, was gray with black patches. Her dark green gaze scanned the clearing, making sure all of the Clans were present. The only leader who wasn't gray was ShadowClan's leader, Hawkstar, a mottled brown tabby tom with sharp yellow eyes. Tigerblaze's tail twitched; he couldn't wait for the Gathering to start.

"Let the Gathering begin!" Ivystar announced, "All is going well in RiverClan. Rosepaw has gotten her full medicine cat name, and she is now known as Rosecloud."

Tigerblaze glanced over to the RiverClan side, and he saw a dark cream-colored she-cat with pale green eyes, holding her head high. A nearby light gray tom looked at her with pride. Tigerblaze recognized him as Stonepaw, a RiverClan apprentice, and Rosecloud's half brother.

Next to speak was Hawkstar, and Tigerblaze quickly found himself snarling at the ShadowClan leader. He felt himself getting angrier and angrier. Hawkstar had just accused ThunderClan of stealing their prey. _Oh, really, _Tigerblaze thought, _Your prey is getting stolen. What about WindClan's prey, huh? You're stealing another Clan's prey, so why shouldn't another Clan steal prey from you? _He looked to the side to see the ThunderClan cats looking bewildered. They hadn't stolen prey from ShadowClan. Hawkstar was lying; using this accusation to cover up for the fact that they were stealing WindClan's prey. Tigerblaze thought of how he had never expected a Clan leader to go so low.

He thought of how for moons, he had loved Feathercloud, and she hadn't noticed, not even once. Because she only had eyes for Frostclaw. Tigerblaze felt like his heart had been yanked out of his chest. He was mad at ShadowClan; he was mad at Hawkstar; he was mad at Feathercloud, and he was mad at Frostclaw. All his anger built up inside him until he couldn't take it.

Tigerblaze leapt onto the Great Rock, ignoring hisses of protest from Smokestar, and Ivystar's deputy, Lionleap.

"Filthy, lying crowfood eater!" he spat, "ThunderClan is not stealing your prey. I can see it on their faces; the consciences are clean. You are stealing WindClan's prey!"

"Smokestar!" Hawkstar growled, "Control your warrior."

Smokestar told Tigerblaze to come down, but the orange warrior replied, "No! Not until Hawkstar admits to stealing our prey."

"Tigerblaze, GET DOWN HERE, now!" Smokestar growled.

Tigerblaze knew better than to argue with the leader twice. "Yes, Smokestar," he agreed jumping off the Great Rock. Smokestar rolled his eyes and turned back to the other leaders.

"I'm terribly sorry," he apologized, "I assumed that I had better control of my warriors. The Gathering is now over."

"Wait a moment," interrupted Graystar, "Hawkstar still hasn't told the truth, and I know that my warriors did not steal ShadowClan prey."

All heads turned to Hawkstar, who shuffled his paws. He eventually hung his head, ashamed.

"You're right," he admitted, "ThunderClan did not steal our prey, and we did steal WindClan's prey. I'm sorry for trying to deceive you. Although, it was Lightningfang's suggestion."

Many cats laughed; Hawkstar had always known how to relieve tension with humor. Blaming the lie on his deputy was a perfect example.

"Make sure it doesn't happen again," Graystar added, "Now, this Gathering is over."

Tigerblaze followed his Clanmates, trying to remain unnoticed. Unfortunately, Smokestar spotted him.

"Tigerblaze!" he called.

Tigerblaze turned to face him. Smokestar was really angry. His neck fur bristled, and his blue eyes were smoldering.

"You embarrassed us in front of all the other Clans. You should be ashamed, Tigerblaze."

"Don't worry; I am."

Later, Feathercloud padded up to him.

She laughed, "That was quite an exploit back there."

Tigerblaze growled, and shrugged her away. "Why do you care?"

Tigerblaze's heart was broken. The she-cat he loved never loved him back, and they grew further and further away as friends. Tigerblaze never had a mate, because he was still in love with Feathercloud. He barely spoke to anyone. He never noticed that a certain someone was watching him, wanting to be able to comfort him. He was so caught up with her that he never knew that there was another she-cat, who loved him as much as he loved Feathercloud.

Blackflower.


	5. Boredom

Boredom

Graytail was bored; there was no denying it. He lay in the warriors den, waiting for something exciting to happen. As the new ThunderClan deputy, he didn't expect he would ever get bored, but he was. He had achieved his life's dream, but he was still bored. He had already organized the patrols for the day, even the patrols for the next day. His apprentice, Snakepaw, was on a hunting patrol, so he couldn't train him. He had nothing to do.

He padded out of the den and spotted his sister, Leafshroud. He had an idea; he would play a prank on Leafshroud, just like in their apprentice days. She was turned the other way, talking to the medicine cat apprentice, Moonspirit. Graytail got into the hunter's crouch. His rump was shaking, ready to pounce. He jumped, not knowing that Moonspirit had just warned Leafshroud about his attack. His sister whirled around and batted his face with her paw. He fell to the ground. Leafshroud purred in amusement, and Moonspirit rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Who knew that deputies could be idiots too?" she joked.

Graytail couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, shut up!" he snorted, and pretended to stalk away angrily. The two she-cats giggled behind him.

"Graytail!" Icestar called. Graytail padded over to the white leader. Her blue-green eyes flashed as he approached. He nodded respectfully.

"There is a problem that I need you to look into. Recently, patrols that have been to Snakerocks came back reporting that they smelled rogue scent. Since you are obviously the best tracker in the Clan, I was hoping you could check it out."

Graytail got excited at the challenge. "I would love to," he assured Icestar.

She nodded, "Get to it then!"

Graytail raced away. His run lost momentum as he exited the camp, realizing that he needed to be cautious. He didn't want to get attacked by the rogues if they were out there. He padded forward more quietly, to avoid stepping on leaves. As he approached Snakerocks, he heard noises. He peeked through a bush, and saw two rogues, who were growling and hissing at a ginger and white kittypet, whose ears were flattened against her head. Graytail snarled; he always got mad when cats attacked another weaker than themselves.

He decided that he should save the kittypet. He got a good look at the attacking rogues, and he felt that he could take them. One was a jet black she-cat, and the other was a solid brown tom. They both had wide amber eyes, which led Graytail to believe they were brother and sister. He charged out of the forest, and let out a fierce battle cry. The rogues twisted their necks around to look, and the kittypet's blue eyes widened. She was probably afraid that he was another rogue, about to attack her as well.

He unsheathed his claws, and then swiped them across the tom's face. He snarled, shaking the blood off. Graytail jumped over him to confront the black she-cat. She growled at him and tried to bite his ear, but he quickly dodged and managed to claw at her stomach. She pounced onto him, and they were soon wrestling each other. Meanwhile, the brown tom was threatening the kittypet once again. She had a burst of sudden bravery and spat at him. Her blue eyes brightened, and she lashed at the tom. He yelped in surprise.

Graytail finally sent the black she-cat running, then turned to face the brown tom. Together, Graytail and the kittypet worked to chase him off.

The kittypet let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you so much; I thought I was doomed. Would you please tell me your name?"

"I'm Graytail," he replied.

The kittypet cocked her head to the side. "That's an odd name."

Graytail narrowed his eyes. "Oh, really. What's yours then?"

"Crystal."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Crystal." He nodded curtly and began to leave.

"Wait!" Crystal called after him, "Come back!"

Graytail turned back around. "What is it?" he sighed.

"Do you want to stay here and talk for a while?"

The question caught him off guard. While it was true that he had nothing to do at the moment, he wasn't sure that chatting with a kittypet was the best way to solve his boredom. Besides, he had promised Snakepaw battle training later that day, and he had to report back to Icestar about the rogue situation. Then again, it had been quite a while since he had been able to just talk.

"Sure, we can talk," he answered at last.

Crystal beamed, "Great!"

Graytail settled down as the kittypet began to speak.

"So, why did your housefolk give you such a weird name?" she asked.

Graytail's eyes widened. "Oh, no, I'm not a kittypet. I don't have, um, 'housefolk.'"

"Okay then. But seriously, why is your name so odd? I've never met anyone with a name like that."

"You see, I come from a group of cats, called ThunderClan. There are also three other Clans: RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan. The Clans have a very specific process for naming. All kits start out with a name that ends in –kit, so my name was Graykit. The word before –kit is chosen by the mother, and it is usually something that describes the kit. Then, when we get to the age of six moons, we become apprentices, and get new names that end in –paw. So, mine was Graypaw. Later on, we become warriors, and we get our full and official names. No two cats ever have same warrior name. Mine is, obviously, Graytail."

Crystal's blue eyes were wide. "Wow," she mused, "That sounds complicated."

"I know," Graytail agreed, "But it's the way the Clans have worked for many, many seasons, and we don't plan on changing it."

"Well, I think that's very impressive. I'm sure getting those warrior names, which no two cats have the same, give you a sense of pride."

Graytail nodded. "They sure do." He was surprised that a kittypet could be so wise. They continued talking, and Graytail discovered that he really liked Crystal. She was really funny, and a prankster like himself. After a while, Graytail go to his feet.

"Where are you going?" Crystal asked.

"I really need to get back to my Clan. They'll be worried about me."

"Okay. Do you think you'll come visit some other time?"

"I definitely will," Graytail replied. When he got back to camp, Icestar was sitting in front of her den, watching him. He padded over to her, and her eyebrow raised.

"That took longer than expected," she commented.

"I know. I got, sidetracked."

"Were there any rogues?"

"Yes. There were two, a black she-cat and a brown tom. I chased them away though."

"Good."

Snakepaw ran over to him, his brown tabby fur fluffed up, and his amber eyes angry.

"Where were you? We were going to have battle training," he complained.

Graytail yawned. "Don't worry, we'll do it tomorrow. I promise."

Just as he promised, the next day Graytail and Snakepaw had battle practice. However, Graytail was unfocused because he kept thinking about Crystal and how he couldn't wait to talk to her again. Snakepaw caught on pretty quickly.

"Graytail," he spoke up, looking concerned, "Do you need to go see Fernpool? You're acting kind of strange."

Graytail shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Maybe a little tired."

The truth was, Graytail was still bored. He was bored of the humdrum Clan activities. He was more interested in his conversations with Crystal than his job as Clan deputy.

Over the next moon, Graytail went to visit Crystal everyday. As he kept going to visit her, he began to find himself looking at Crystal in a different light. He realized that she was very pretty, and she was fun to be with, and she was smarter than the average kittypet. One day, it dawned on him. He was in love! With Crystal!

He admitted it to her one day, and she was overjoyed. They started to spend even more time together. Graytail didn't even notice that Snakepaw was falling behind in his training. Cats who had become apprentices after him became warriors before him, but Graytail didn't notice, because he spent all his time with Crystal.

One day, he padded along the familiar trail to Snakerocks, only to find Snakepaw standing there, looking at him with an angry amber glare.

Snakepaw waiting at Snakerocks, how ironic.

"I knew something was up!" he growled, "You've been spending all your time with a kittypet! How could you, Graytail? Don't you care about your Clan? Don't you care about your apprentice? Graytail, you're the deputy for StarClan's sake! And you're wasting time with a kittypet!"

"Look, Snakepaw, I'm sorry, but I like Crystal. A lot."

"Still, you can't spend every moment of every day with her. ThunderClan needs you! I need you, or I'll never become a warrior!"

Graytail felt ashamed. He realized that his apprentice was counting on him. It was a mentor's job to prepare their apprentice for becoming a warrior, and Graytail wasn't fulfilling it.

"Okay, Snakepaw. I'm sorry I let you down."

Snakepaw purred, "It's okay. And you can still see your kittypet friend, but maybe just once a moon."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll tell Crystal."

As Graytail went to speak with her, she burst out of the bushes, blue eyes wide with excitement.

"Graytail, I'm expecting your kits!" she exclaimed.

"That's great, but we need to talk."

"Okay, let's talk."

"I'm not going to be able to visit you as much as usual. Probably only once a moon. It's not that I don't like you, but I have a very important job in the Clan, and I can't let them down. But, I promise I still love you, and I promise I'll come see our kits."

Crystal nodded, "I understand. Thank you for telling me."

"Okay, I'll see you some other time."

Graytail went back to his Clan, and he spent as much time as he could training with Snakepaw. Before he knew it, it was time for Snakepaw's warrior ceremony.

"Snakepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Icestar asked.

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give your warrior name. Snakepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Snakestripe. StarClan honors your determination and patience, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

"Snakestripe! Snakestripe! Snakestripe!" the Clan chanted.

As Snakestripe jumped down from the Highrock, he sat next to Graytail.

"Thank you," he whispered.

* * *

*One moon later*

_It was a hot greenleaf day, and Snakestripe was bored..._


	6. Art of Conversation

Art of Conversation

It was a hot greenleaf day, and Snakestripe was bored. He was absent-mindedly picking at a mouse. Every once in a while he would glance up to see Doveflight, the love of his life, talking to her friends. He was mesmerized by her fluffy gray pelt, and her misty blue eyes. Snakestripe's brother, Smokeclaw, padded over to him.

"How's it going?" he asked, "Your eyes are as wide as an owl's."

Snakestripe let out a huff of air, then flicked Smokeclaw's nose with his tail.

"Gee, thanks buddy," he scoffed.

Smokeclaw rolled his eyes. "Whatever. But seriously, why do you have that look on your face?"

"Isn't it obvious? It's Doveflight."

"Oh no, not again. Snakestripe, just talk to her!" Smokeclaw exclaimed

"It's not that easy. You know I'm not a great conversationalist," the brown tabby tom replied.

A wide smile broke out across Smokeclaw's face. "Then I'll teach you how to be one."

"Smokeclaw, do you really think you should…"

"Just trust me, Snakestripe. Have I ever let you down?"

Snakestripe stared at him flatly for a moment, then blinked. "Yes."

* * *

"Okay," Smokeclaw began, "The best way to talk to a she-cat is to think like a she-cat. You need to understand what they like, how they feel, how they act. With that in mind, go talk to her."

Snakestripe narrowed his eyes. "Is that the only advice you're going to give me?" he asked.

Smokeclaw's green eyes shifted to the side. "For now."

"Well, until you tell me something else, I'm not budging," Snakestripe stated.

"Oh, yes you are!" Smokeclaw exclaimed, then shoved his brother towards Doveflight. She turned around in surprise.

"Oh, hello Snakepaw," she greeted him cheerfully.

"Um, actually, it's Snake_stripe_," he explained, "My warrior ceremony was a moon ago."

"Oh yeah, I remember. So, what brings you here, Snakestripe?"

Snakestripe suddenly got nervous. "Um, I- I just wanted to, you know, talk."

"Well I can't right now. I'm about to go on a border patrol. Maybe some other time though."

"Oh, okay. See you then, Doveflight."

Snakestripe watched with longing as the gray she-cat padded away. Smokeclaw came up behind him.

"Well, that didn't work," he sighed, "We'll try again tomorrow."

"Snakestripe!" Graytail called, "We need one more cat for the border patrol. Can you help?"

Snakestripe nearly jumped out of his fur. "Sure! I'll be right there," he replied.

Graytail was leading the patrol, followed by Doveflight, Snakestripe, and a pale brown tabby tom named Birchfur. Snakestripe soon found himself padding side by side with Doveflight, but his nerves got the best of him, so they walked in silence until Doveflight finally spoke up.

"So, Snakestripe, why did you want to talk to me earlier?"

"Oh, I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Oh. I'm good."

"That's nice."

The conversation was awkward, and Snakestripe wanted nothing more than to have Smokeclaw helping him. As if on cue, there was a rustling in the bushes near the patrol. Snakestripe turned to the side to see the thick gray pelt of his brother. He cleared his throat.

"Excuse me; I have to go make dirt. I'll be right back."

He slinked off into the bushes.

"What are you doing here?" he growled.

"Helping you!" Smokeclaw hissed, "I'll tell you what to say, and you repeat it."

Snakestripe looked concerned. "I hope this works."

"Don't worry. It will!" Smokeclaw encouraged.

Snakestripe padded out of the bushes. "Sorry about that."

Graytail chuckled, "It's fine. Sometimes you just have to go!"

"Ain't that the truth!" Birchfur agreed.

They kept walking towards the RiverClan border.

From the bushes, Smokeclaw whispered, _"Doveflight, you look so pretty today."_

"Doveflight, you look so pretty today," Snakestripe repeated.

She smiled, "Why, thank you, Snakestripe."

"_Isn't the weather nice?"_

"Isn't the weather nice?" echoed Snakestripe.

"Yes, it sure is. Everything is so beautiful and green. I just wish it wasn't so hot," Doveflight replied.

"_Tell me about it!"_

"Tell me about it!"

Doveflight purred in amusement, and Snakestripe beamed. This was going great!

Unknown to Snakestripe, a wasp flew in front of Smokeclaw's nose.

"_No! Shoo! Go away!" _Smokeclaw hissed.

"No! Shoo! Go away!" Snakestripe repeated, eyes narrowed in confusion.

"What?" Doveflight asked.

Smokeclaw started to swat at the wasp with his paw. _"Get out of here, you stupid bug!" _

"Get out of here, you stupid bug!" Snakestripe exclaimed.

Doveflight gasped, a hurt expression on her face, "Fine! If that's the way you want it, I'm sorry to have bothered you!"

She stormed away. Birchfur whispered something in her ear, and she nodded, leaning into his pale brown fur. Birchfur looked back and gave Snakestripe an angry glare. Snakestripe bent his head over, giving his brother a sidelong glance. Smokeclaw yelped as the wasp stung his nose.

As they approached Sunningrocks, they noticed a RiverClan warrior.

"What are you doing here?" Graytail demanded, "Sunningrocks belongs to ThunderClan!"

"Not after today it won't!" the RiverClan cat responded, fluffing up his light gray fur.

Birchfur stepped forward. "Cedarclaw, what is the meaning of this?" he asked.

"I'm here to take back what's rightfully RiverClan's," Cedarclaw explained smugly.

"You and what army?" Snakestripe growled.

Cedarclaw chuckled, "This one."

A group of RiverClan warriors appeared from out of the nearby bushes. They stood in a defensive line, fur bristling and eyes gleaming. The ThunderClan patrol was hopelessly outnumbered. Smokeclaw, seeing his Clanmates about to fight, came out of his hiding place.

"Smokeclaw!" Birchfur snapped "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Smokeclaw meowed, faking sincerity, "I didn't realize that you wouldn't want any help. I'll just leave and let you handle all these RiverClan warriors by yourself."

"Good idea. You wouldn't be much use anyway," Birchfur shot back.

"Birchfur, shut up and let him help," Graytail growled. Doveflight rolled her eyes and sighed impatiently.

Cedarclaw looked on skeptically for a moment before yowling, "RiverClan, attack!"

He launched himself at Snakestripe. Sunningrocks changed from a peaceful riverside alcove, to a loud, dangerous mass of hissing, battling cats. Snakestripe raked his claws along Cedarclaw's belly.

"Who died and made you deputy?" he whispered in the RiverClan warrior's ear.

Cedarclaw hissed, "No one! But I am one of RiverClan's best warriors, and one of Ivystar's favorites."

Snakestripe growled, "Well, you won't be her favorite when you're dead!"

They tumbled around, crashing into rocks. Snakestripe bit into Cedarclaw's ear. The gray RiverClan warrior growled. Suddenly, Snakestripe heard a loud yowl, coming from near the river. He lifted himself up to see Doveflight being carried by the river, a RiverClan warrior standing in front of her. Snakestripe shoved Cedarclaw away, and raced towards Doveflight. The other RiverClan warrior looked at him, fear and worry in his gaze.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for her to fall; please forgive me!" he whimpered.

"Don't worry; I'm not mad," Snakestripe meowed, "Doveflight, hang on! I'm coming!"

He hurled himself into the river, and immediately latched his jaws into Doveflight's scruff. He managed to swim back to the bank, and helped Doveflight safely climb back onto shore.

"Thank you, Snakestripe!" she exclaimed.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier. You see, I was really nervous about talking to you, so Smokeclaw was hiding in the bushes, telling me what to say. Then, a wasp came. When I was saying all those mean things, it was what Smokeclaw was saying to the wasp, and I misunderstood. I'm so sorry, but I just really like you, and I was worried that you thought I was a goof," Snakestripe explained, his words tumbling over each other.

"Hey, you just saved my life," Doveflight interrupted, her eyes full of affection, "And actions speak louder than words."

Graytail padded up behind them and meowed, "Guys, come on. We lost, and Sunningrocks belongs to RiverClan now. We've got to go back home."

"I don't care," Snakestripe replied, still staring into Doveflight's eyes.

The deputy purred in amusement, "Ah, young love."


	7. Take Your Best Shot

Take Your Best Shot

"Again," Wolfpaw's mentor stated, as Wolfpaw slowly shoved himself to his feet. Even in the bright moonlight, that turned his gray fur silver, Wolfpaw's green eyes appeared flat and dull.

"Haven't we done enough for the day? It's almost moonhigh," the WindClan apprentice whined.

Eaglestrike sighed, "Okay, we can go back to camp. But be right back in the training area first thing tomorrow."

Wolfpaw nodded slowly. "Yes, Eaglestrike," he replied, exhaustion in his mew.

It wasn't that Eaglestrike was necessarily a bad mentor, but he always seemed to push Wolfpaw too hard, trying to make sure that all his apprentice's movements were perfect down to every last detail. Wolfpaw wasn't lazy by any means, but sometimes he wanted nothing more than to take a nice, long nap after one of Eaglestrike's training sessions. Okay, so maybe Eaglestrike was a bad mentor.

When they arrived back at the WindClan camp, Smokestar was sitting outside of his den. As he watched Eaglestrike and Wolfpaw approach, his blue eyes flooded with concern.

"Eaglestrike, isn't it a little late to be training your apprentice?" he asked, motioning with his tail to the very tired Wolfpaw.

Eaglestrike laughed, "Are you kidding? Wolfpaw's the sturdiest apprentice around. He could train all night if he had to. Isn't that right, young one?"

Wolfpaw grinned weakly, "Oh, absolutely."

He padded to the apprentice den, stifling a yawn. His friend, Larkpaw, looked up as he came in.

"Wolfpaw!" she exclaimed, "Where have you been?"

"Training," Wolfpaw replied weakly.

"Well, you were out late enough."

Wolfpaw nodded. He opened his mouth to speak, but instead he simply plopped into his nest, and fell asleep immediately.

The next morning, Wolfpaw woke up to a paw prodding his side. He barely opened his eyes, and saw the tortoiseshell face of Larkpaw. Her yellow eyes were fearful.

"Huh? What's going on? Is the Clan under attack?" he asked wearily.

Larkpaw shook her head. "No, but you need to wake up. You slept really late, and Eaglestrike is getting impatient."

Wolfpaw stood up. "Of course he is!" he sighed dramatically. He slowly padded out of the den. Eaglestrike was watching him impatiently.

"Wolfpaw," he growled, "I thought I said first thing in the morning. What happened to first thing in the morning?"

"Sorry, I guess I just slept late," Wolfpaw meowed.

"Well, make sure it doesn't happen again. You're lucky that I had to be in the dawn patrol, or I'd be really mad."

They went to the training area and began to train. They continued practicing the move they had been working on the night before. Wolfpaw ran at Eaglestrike, who stepped out of the way. As practiced, Wolfpaw flicked his forepaw out, under Eaglestrike's foot. His mentor fell onto his side.

Eaglestrike purred, "Fantastic! You finally learned that move!"

"Thank you Eaglestrike," Wolfpaw replied.

The deputy, Mapleleaf, padded over to them. She had recently become deputy after Feathercloud, Wolfpaw's mother, died in a fight with ShadowClan.

"Wolfpaw," she meowed, "Frostclaw wants you to go hunting with him."

Wolfpaw's fur fluffed up. It seemed like ages since he had last hunted with his father.

The apprentice turned to Eaglestrike, who nodded slowly. Wolfpaw looked back at Mapleleaf and meowed, "Okay, thanks."

"He's near the RiverClan border!" she called as Wolfpaw raced away. The apprentice caught up with Frostclaw, gasping for breath. His father purred with affection.

"Nice to see you, son," he greeted Wolfpaw, "You're so fast; just like a true WindClan warrior. You'll be one before you know it."

"Thanks!"

Wolfpaw hunted with his father for a while, and they came back to the WindClan camp with mouthfuls of prey. Larkpaw's eyes widened as they approached.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, "Wolfpaw, how did you catch so much prey? It's enough to feed the all of the elders, queens, and kits, as well as Smokestar. It's incredible."

"StarClan blessed us, I suppose," Wolfpaw replied, flicking his ears.

Frostclaw came up behind him. "Let's not forget that you had a fantastic hunting partner," he joked.

Wolfpaw pressed his head against his father's shoulder and purred, "Yeah, that too."

"Wolfpaw!" Eaglestrike called, "You're back, perfect. Let's get some more battle training done!"

"Actually," Frostclaw interrupted, "I think Wolfpaw needs a break. He's been training all day, and he just got back from hunting with me. A growing apprentice needs his rest."

A growl rumbled in Eaglestrike's throat. "I'm sorry," he snapped, "I had no idea that you became Wolfpaw's new mentor."

Frostclaw stood over the slightly smaller tom. "I'm sorry. I had no idea that you became Wolfpaw's new father," he retorted, with eyes narrowed and a snarl on his face. Tigerblaze came up to stand beside Eaglestrike.

"Frostclaw," he meowed curtly, "Don't be too protective of your son. There will come a day when Wolfpaw won't need you anymore. I suggest you go away and let Eaglestrike do his job."

Frostclaw's expression became furious. Wolfpaw's tail twitched nervously. His father was great warrior, but Wolfpaw knew that he wouldn't have a chance against both the muscular, broad-shouldered Tigerblaze and the quick, nimble Eaglestrike. No matter who won, cats on both sides would get hurt.

"Enough!" Wolfpaw yelped, "Calm down. Do you really want to fight your fellow Clanmates? Over me no less! I'll be fine. I'll go train with Eaglestrike. It's no big deal, really."

Tigerblaze narrowed his green eyes at Frostclaw one more time before padding away, muttering under his breath. Wolfpaw noticed Blackflower trying to talk to him, but Tigerblaze pushed her away. Blackflower's blue eyes flooded with sadness as he turned his back on her. Eaglestrike sprang up.

"Okay!" he meowed cheerfully, "Let's train, Wolfpaw!"

"Coming," the gray apprentice replied. He followed Eaglestrike, his tail drooping. His mentors brown tabby pelt was ruffled. When they got to the training area, they immediately got to work. They trained for what seemed to be an eternity, and it ended with Wolfpaw nearly asleep on his paws. Eaglestrike raised his eyebrow skeptically.

"Come on, Wolfpaw. I know you can do better than that. Put some effort into it; take your best shot," Eaglestrike pressured his apprentice.

Finally, Wolfpaw couldn't take it any longer. He cracked.

"Eaglestrike, shut up!" he snapped, "Shut up, shut up, shut up! I can't take it any more! If I train for one more minute, I'll collapse! You're killing me with all this training, Eaglestrike! I don't want you as my mentor any more. I want Frostclaw to be my mentor! I'm going to tell Smokestar that you're a horrible, horrible mentor, and then he'll give your job to a warrior who can do it without killing his apprentice!"

Wolfpaw whirled around and stormed off.

"Where do you think you're going, Wolfpaw?" Eaglestrike demanded, his tone threatening.

"Away from you!" Wolfpaw yowled back, his green eyes blazing. Wolfpaw raced toward the RiverClan border, not entirely sure where he was going. He just knew that he couldn't let Eaglestrike catch up with him. Eventually, Wolfpaw stopped, gasping for breath, then fell on the ground, exhausted. He had no idea that he had entered RiverClan territory.

"What are you doing here, WindClan scum?" a voice growled.

"Resting?" Wolfpaw offered.

"Resting?" the voice scoffed, "In RiverClan territory?"

Wolfpaw's fur stood on end. He thought he was still in WindClan. A gray-furred figure stepped out of the reeds, pale green eyes flashing in the moonlight. It was Stonepaw, a RiverClan apprentice that Wolfpaw had met at a Gathering a few moons ago.

"Stonepaw?" he asked.

Stonepaw laughed, "I'm not Stonepaw anymore. I became a warrior yesterday. My name is Stoneheart. You better have a good excuse for being here, Wolfpaw."

"I thought I was still in WindClan territory," Wolfpaw mewed timidly.

"Well you thought wrong," Stoneheart growled, fluffing out his light gray fur.

"Look, Stoneheart, I'm sorry. But I'm really tired, and I didn't mean to trespass. If you just leave me alone, I'll go in peace," Wolfpaw begged.

"No room for mercy," Stoneheart whispered, half to himself.

"Stoneheart, please-"

"I'm going to kill you, Wolfpaw," Stoneheart snarled.

The WindClan apprentice rose to his feet. "Take your best shot," he growled.

Stoneheart launched himself at Wolfpaw, but the apprentice was so tired that his thoughts and reflexes moved sluggishly. He didn't have the focus to retaliate, and Stoneheart sank his teeth into Wolfpaw's throat, blood spilling out slowly, staining the RiverClan warrior's teeth red. Wolfpaw let out a screech of pain, but it ended in a low gurgling sound as the world disappeared from his view.

Wolfpaw's eyes flickered open to the glittering forest of StarClan. As he got to his feet, he saw a soft-pelted dark gray she-cat with warm amber eyes, gazing at him fondly.

"Feathercloud!" he cried, running to his mother. The former WindClan deputy purred as her son nuzzled into her fur. "I thought I'd never see you again," he whispered.

"I'm glad to see you too, Wolfpaw," she replied, "It's good to know that you're safe from Eaglestrike; he can't hurt you any more."

"Wait. You mean I'm… dead?"

Feathercloud's gaze clouded. "I'm afraid so. Stoneheart killed you, just like he said he would."

"That's okay. At least I get to see you again," Wolfpaw mewed.

"True."

Wolfpaw watched his Clan from the stars. A patrol led by Frostclaw found his body on RiverClan territory. They held vigil for him. Surprisingly, Eaglestrike was there, as well as Tigerblaze. Frostclaw sat next to his son's body, head bowed, with Larkpaw nearby.

Two moons later, Wolfpaw watched as his friend got her warrior name, Larkflight, and later had her first litter of kits. One was a small gray tom, whom she named Wolfkit. And of course, Eaglestrike never had another apprentice again.


	8. Creativity

Creativity

"Heatherpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all the cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Heatherpaw replied, the words tingling on her tongue. She was getting her full medicine cat name at last. She hoped it would be a pretty, original name like Heatherflower or Heatherfrost. Maybe Heatherstream.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Heatherpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Heatherfur. StarClan honors your compassion and creativity, and we welcome you as a full medicine cat."

The light brown tabby she-cat's heart froze. Heather_fur_? To her, –fur was the plainest, most common end to a Clan name you could ever get. She was stuck with a simple, boring name for the rest of her life. Leafshadow even mentioned her apprentice's creativity, yet she gave her a dull name like Heatherfur?

As they made their way back to the WindClan camp, Heatherfur whined.

"Leafshadow, why did you give me such a bland name? Surely you could have been much more creative."

Leafshadow sighed, "Heatherfur, it doesn't really matter how creative your name is. What matters is that you serve your Clan the way a good medicine cat should. Besides, I think it's a nice, sturdy name. Would you rather still be Heatherpaw?"

Heatherfur flattened her ears against her head. "No, I guess not," she muttered. She followed her mentor the rest of the way to the WindClan camp, head down.

A few days later, Nightshade, a queen, was giving birth to her kits. Heatherfur and Leafshadow helped, calming her with words of encouragement.

Heatherfur stuck her head out of the den. "Smokewhisker," she meowed to the deputy, and Nightshade's mate, "Your kits are here."

Smokewhisker's blue eyes brightened, and he followed the apprentice into the nursery. He looked down at his two kits; a black she-cat and a brownish-ginger tom. Nightshade looked up.

"See, Smokewhisker? Your kits," she meowed quietly.

"They're perfect," the deputy whispered.

"Names?" Nightshade asked.

Smokewhisker looked at the black she-kit. "Nightkit?" he suggested.

Nightshade laughed, "You _would _try to name her after me. Um, how about Darkkit?"

Her mate shook his head. "Ravenkit?"

"No."

Smokewhisker's ears suddenly pricked up. "Let's call her Blackkit," he meowed. He glanced over as Heatherfur rolled her eyes. "Not to sound ambitious," he continued, "But I'll probably be leader by the time they're warriors. And I have the perfect name to give her when she is one."

"What will it be?" Leafshadow asked.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," he replied, winking.

"What should we name the tom? Gingerkit?" Nightshade asked.

Heatherfur spoke up, in order to save the little tom from having a plain name like his sister's. "Why not Foxkit?" she meowed.

Smokewhisker and Nightshade looked at each other. "I like it," Smokewhisker said.

Nightshade nodded. "Then it's settled. Foxkit it is. Thank you, Heatherfur."

The medicine cat apprentice dipped her head. "Anything to help."

Leafshadow shot her a wary look.

Two moons later, Leafshadow died in a RiverClan raid. Heatherfur grieved; she would never forget the kind mentor who had been like a mother to her. Every day after that, Heatherfur stopped by the nursery to visit the kits she had helped name.

"Heatherfur!" Foxkit squeaked as she came into the nursery one greenleaf day.

She purred. "Hello to you too, Foxkit," she looked to his sister, "Good morning, Blackkit."

The small black she-cat looked at her with wide blue eyes. "Hi," she mewed quietly. She immediately brought her gaze back to the sleeping form of the nursery's newest addition, Tigerkit. His father, Grassfur, was a WindClan cat, but his mother happened to be in ThunderClan. The tiny tom had the same pelt as his mother: fiery orange. Blackkit had taken a liking to Tigerkit, even though she was too shy to speak to him. Also, Featherpaw, WindClan's youngest apprentice, became the ginger tom's best friend. For such a young cat, Tigerkit seemed to be quite popular.

"Heatherfur," she heard Foxkit's small mew from behind her, "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," she replied, "Come with me."

The brown-ginger tom tripped over his paws as he followed her. Heatherfur purred in amusement, but she tried not to show it. After they entered the medicine cat den, she turned to face Foxkit.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked sweetly.

"I want to be a medicine cat!" he declared, puffing out his chest.

Heatherfur's dark blue eyes widened. "That's great. I've been thinking about talking on an apprentice." She hadn't really given it too much thought, but she certainly wouldn't mind having a helper.

"Does that mean I can be your apprentice?" Foxkit asked hopefully.

"Of course! But you'll still have to wait until you're six moons old."

"I'm four moons old now," he said, "The time will fly by!"

True to Foxkit's word, two moons seemed to go by before Heatherfur had a chance to blink. There was mostly peace between the Clans, and very few cats had gotten sick. Rockpelt, an elder, died, but it was more due to old age than anything else.

"Today is a very special day," Applestar meowed from her place on the Highstone, "Two young cats will become apprentices today, but these are not just any young cats. They are the son and daughter of our noble deputy, Smokewhisker, and his beautiful mate, Nightshade. Foxkit, Blackkit, please step forward."

The kits did as they were told. Foxkit was clearly excited, but Blackkit seemed shy. She stood next to her brother, trembling slightly. Foxkit whispered words of encouragement into her ear.

"Foxkit, from now on you will be known as Foxpaw. As you want to be a medicine cat, your mentor will be Heatherfur."

Heatherfur stepped up and touched noses with the small tom.

"Blackkit, from now on you will be known as Blackpaw. Mapleleaf, you are still a young warrior, but you are ready for your first apprentice. You will be mentor to Blackpaw."

The two she-cats touched noses as well. Blackpaw's blue eyes glowed a little brighter.

That night, she brought Foxpaw to the Moonstone, to register him as a true medicine cat apprentice. He was kind and courteous to the other medicine cats, and he seemed surprisingly pleased to be the only apprentice. Heatherfur could not have been more impressed with the ginger tom.

Moons later, Moonspirit came to the meeting with a new apprentice, Talonpaw. He had been a warrior apprentice before, very close to becoming a warrior in fact, but had lost his leg in a run-in with ShadowClan. Robinflight seemed ashamed of how the warriors of his Clan had acted. Foxpaw's attention was brought immediately to the spot where Talonpaw's leg had once been. Although he continued to stare at it all throughout the meeting, he didn't ask any questions about it, and had been generally nice to the ThunderClan apprentice.

Eventually, the time came for Foxpaw to become a complete medicine cat. Possibilities for his new name bounced around in Heatherfur's mind, but none seemed to stand out to the she-cat. Names like Foxclaw and Foxfur were not creative enough. Names like Foxwing and Foxflight were creative, but made no sense. She finally thought of the perfect name when the time for the ceremony arrived, and it came as a surprise to both mentor and apprentice.

"I, Heatherfur, medicine cat of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help, he will serve his Clan for many moons. Foxpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Foxpaw meowed with certainty. In that moment, Heatherfur saw in his amber eyes what she had seen many times before, but never of this magnitude. A flame, a blaze, of determination and self worth that was unique and special to Foxpaw, something that came to him in his most troubling, or most joyful, times. Heatherfur knew the perfect, creative yet practical name for the ginger tom, a name that would serve him well for many moons.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Foxpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Foxflame. StarClan honors your determination and kindness, and we welcome you as a medicine cat. Serve your Clan well."


	9. Flash

Flash

_Flash! _

Lightning shot across the sky above a tortoiseshell she-cat's head. Dawnpaw ran on, knowing that she could not slow her pace, lest her Clanmates would find her and take her back to the ShadowClan camp.

_Flash! _

The other apprentices' taunts echoed in her mind._ "Half-Clan scum! Why don't you drag yourself back to RiverClan with your mother?" _That was Moonpaw, a silver tom with gray eyes. _"Yeah, you'd be of better use to those fish-faces than you would to us!" _That came from Moonpaw's sister, Flightpaw, a light brown tabby. _"You're pathetic, worthless. You'll never become a warrior, Dawnpaw!" _That was the one she hated the most. That was Snowpaw. With her gorgeous pure white fur, her dazzling amber eyes and the deputy as her mentor, she made Dawnpaw sick.

The only apprentice who hadn't teased her was Poppypaw, a small black she-cat, the medicine cat apprentice. Poppypaw was generally nice and sweet to her, and Dawnpaw considered her a true friend. Of course, Poppypaw's lame leg and small size made her the target of scorn and teasing from their denmates as well. It was the reason she had become Robinflight's apprentice in the first place.

_Flash!_

Dawnpaw yelped as a pine tree behind her crackled, and fell to the earth. A large black scorch mark was easily visible on the trunk. Dawnpaw sighed in relief that it hadn't caught the forest on fire. Then what would she have done? Ran back to camp? No. Dawnpaw clenched her jaw. Never. She had to run away from ShadowClan, with all of the lies, bullying, and betrayal that the life of a half-Clan apprentice had to offer. The skinny tortoiseshell wasn't sure what to do with herself. She was planning on becoming a loner, far away from the Clans' territories. Or perhaps to Twolegplace, to live out the rest of her days in the peaceful realm of a kittypet.

_Flash!_

She stopped to catch her breath. Her chest heaving, she surveyed her surroundings. Something caught her eye. It was hard to see in the stormy darkness, but it appeared to be some sort of den. Dawnpaw had to hold back a screech of terror as she saw the flash of a green eye, deep in the den.

"Hello there," a voice meowed, "What pretty blue eyes you have, young one! What is your name?"

"I'm Dawnpaw. Who are you?"

The voice laughed, "Ah, a Clan cat! How _lovely_. Anyways, sweetheart, my name is Rook. Please, don't wear it out."

"Fine then, Rook," Dawnpaw replied, her voice shaky, "Show yourself!"

Another laugh. "I'd be more than happy to." A tom stepped out of the shadows. His fur was thick and dark, dark gray. One of his eyes was green, as Dawnpaw had seen earlier, but the other was amber. Both eyes blinked. In total, the aura resounding from this tom felt… unnatural.

"So, you like what you see?" Rook asked. The gleam in his mismatched eyes didn't go unnoticed by Dawnpaw.

"Maybe I should get going…" she began.

Rook shook his head. "No need. Dawnpaw, I'm as harmless as a fly. I swear."

_Flash!_

Dawnpaw jumped as a loud blast of thunder sounded. "Besides," Rook continued, "I think you'll find that storm much more dangerous. Please, come inside."

Dawnpaw nodded halfheartedly. "Alright, but if you try anything…"

"I won't," Rook promised.

She stepped inside, and she felt relief as the rain stopped pelting down against her. Dawnpaw shook the water out of her fur and sat down.

"So, Dawnpaw, what's your story?" Rook asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for a Clan cat, you're awfully far from home. Which Clan are you from, and why are you running away?"

Dawnpaw swallowed. "ShadowClan," she meowed, "And I'm running away because I've been teased and taunted for too long."

Rook's amber eye glistened in understanding, and there was a look of pain in his green one. Dawnpaw tried to suppress a shudder, but Rook didn't seem to mind.

"What for?"

"Well, even though I'm in ShadowClan, my mother was a RiverClan cat. ShadowClan does not think fondly of half-Clan cats. Also, I'm not very strong, or fast, or brave, or anything like that. I'm terrible in training, and I don't think I'll ever become a warrior. That's why I have to run away, so that I'm not a burden on the Clan any more."

_Flash!_

Rook glanced at the sky, but said nothing. Dawnpaw watched him warily, wondering if he was taking this opportunity to strike. But he didn't. Instead, he meowed, quietly, "Dawnpaw, we have a lot in common."

"What do you mean?"

"I am an outcast as well."

"What happened to you?" Dawnpaw asked.

"I don't like to talk about it…" he trailed off, but when he spoke again, a sudden surge of conviction lit up his odd, flickering eyes, "Dawnpaw, how much do you know about your father?"

"Not much. He died when I was still a kit. My foster mother, Berryshine, only told me that he was black, and he had green eyes. His name was Crowpelt."

Rook blinked, and it seemed as if he knew something that Dawnpaw didn't. "My father's name was Crowpelt," he meowed shakily.

_Flash!_

The lightning went unnoticed by the two cats. They stared at each other for a long time before Dawnpaw broke the silence.

"Who was your mother?" she asked.

"Flicker. Yours?"

"Sorrelsky. Rogue?"

"She preferred loner, but yes."

"We're half-siblings!"

"Yep. Sounds like our father wasn't the most faithful mate, was he?"

"No. Not the most loyal warrior either. I guess bad blood runs in both of us, huh?"

Rook's face turned serious; his eyes darkened. "That very well may be, but don't you forget, Dawnpaw, blood doesn't make the cat. It's hard work and a strong character that makes us who we are. Never sell yourself short, sister."

"Right," she paused, carefully planning what to say next, "Rook, your father was a warrior, but you live the life of a loner. You deserve better. Come back to ShadowClan with me, brother. Please."

"I thought you were running away. Remember, the teasing, the misery. Besides, I can't go back. They'll never accept me."

Dawnpaw nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose you're right, but I'd like to give you a warrior name anyway. It won't be official, but it's the least I can do."

Rook smiled for the first time. "I'd like that."

"Okay. Then from this day forward, you will be known as Rooktalon. May StarClan grant you a long life."

_Flash!_

The loudest crash of thunder yet sent a shiver through Dawnpaw's spine. She looked overhead at the raging storm, which had gotten progressively worse as the night went on.

"We should go somewhere else," Rooktalon meowed, "Where we will be safer."

The siblings raced out of the den. The crashes of thunder and bursts of lightning became louder and closer together.

_Flash!_

Dawnpaw slipped on a wet leaf. Rooktalon helped her to her feet, looking wildly around at the chaotic surroundings. His mismatched eyes glowed unnaturally, and Dawnpaw couldn't help but wonder how they had ended up that way.

_Flash!_

The first tree fell, sizzling with fire.

_Flash!_

The ShadowClan apprentice let out a yowl of terror. She looked to her half-brother for comfort, but his eyes were wide with fear as well.

_Flash!_

It came without warning. Out of nowhere, the giant oak tree collapsed, having been hit by the lightning.

"Dawnpaw!" Rooktalon screeched, jumping forward in hope to shoving his sister out of the way. But it was too late. The sound of thick roots ripping out of the ground was the last thing Dawnpaw heard before her eyes closed, never to open again.

_Flash!_

Rooktalon stood there in silent grief, his mind trying to rally all that he had just witnessed. He looked down at his sister's dead tortoiseshell body, and let out a terrible shriek of anguish. Without hesitation, he ran towards the next falling tree, and his last breathe was a sigh of relief as his body stilled.

_Flash!_

Despite the two deaths, the storm showed no grief. It continued to rage, to grow, and it must have been a StarClan-sent miracle that the three-cat patrol wasn't killed. It consisted of Hawkstar, the mottled brown leader; Lightningfang, the black-furred, bright-eyed deputy; and Whispersoul, Dawnpaw's pale gray mentor.

"Hawkstar," Lightningfang spoke sadly, "We found her. She was killed by the tree."

The ShadowClan leader nodded numbly, his usually sharp amber eyes dull. "This apprentice endured a life of hardships, which lead to her death. She will go to StarClan with a warrior name. I ask my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has learned the warrior code and has given up her life in the service of her Clan. Let StarClan receive her as a warrior. Her name will be Dawnheart, because of the beautiful heart we always knew she possessed. Let StarClan receive her by the name of Dawnheart."

_Flash!_

The patrol stood still, bowing their heads and closing their eyes for a short vigil to the deceased.

If you listened very closely that night, you could hear the voice of the odd-eyed tom chanting, "Dawnheart, Dawnheart…"


End file.
